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How Larimer County should deal with decreasing sales tax revenue in the coming years is a central issue in the race for county commissioner in the November election.

The incumbent, Republican Tom Donnelly, said the commissioners and county staff have done a good job cutting expenditures and saving for the future while maintaining county services as much as possible.

The county is planning to reduce its general fund spending by about $10 million during the next three years in advance of the end of a sales tax dedicated the operating the county jail.

The cutbacks will come through increased efficiencies identified by county staff and elected officials. The county’s budgeting practices and attitudes have changed for the better since he took office four years ago, Donnelly said.

“Government is like a big ship and it takes a while to turn the ship,” he said. “But once you get it turning you can pick up speed and make some progress.

“I feel like county government is getting leaner and getting more efficient; people are working together.”

The challenger, Democrat Karen Stockley, said the current commissioners have not “asked enough questions” about where the county’s budget is headed and should consider dipping into reserve funds to preserve critical services.

Potential cuts to the sheriff’s office budget are particularly troubling, she said, since public safety should be the county’s top priority.

Her experience on the Thompson School District Board of Education and as a small-business owner has taught her about budgeting and finding efficiencies, Stockley said. Stockley questioned why the commissioners plan to continue adding money to reserves when they should be putting it to use.

“Those are rainy-day funds and that’s what they are for,” Stockley said. “You can’t spend down your reserves enormously but if you are judicious and have specific targets, this is the time you should be spending them.”

The economy is slowly recovering from the recession and the county is likely to see property values and tax revenue increase in the next five to 10 years, she said.

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“We are on the rebound, I believe, and I think we should use the reserves to get us through the tough years,” she said.

Donnelly and Stockley are vying for the commissioner seat from District 3, which covers the southern part of the county, including Loveland, Berthoud and Estes Park. Commissioners must live in the district they represent but they are elected at-large by county voters.

Donnelly was elected commissioner in 2008 after serving as the county surveyor.

He is married with four children.

The last four years have been an education, Donnelly said, and he’s learned how to work with elected officials within the county and in other jurisdictions to get things done.

The executive function of the commissioner’s job differentiates it from other government posts, he said. It has enabled him to directly work with residents to resolve issues with county departments.

It’s also allowed him to advocate for the county’s communities, such as securing federal grants for a transportation hub in Estes Park.

“That’s what a commissioner does; that’s the fight you want to win,” he said.

Donnelly said he hopes to stay the course for the next four years, especially when it comes to budgeting and supporting programs that reduce the cost of running the county jail.

Stockley, who is married with five children, said the commissioner’s job matches up well with her long-running interest in budgeting and land-use issues.

She hopes to bring some diversity of thought to the board of county commissioners, which currently has three male Republican members.

County government is not as partisan as entities such as the state Legislature, Stockley she said, so if elected she would not expect to have a problem working with Republican commissioners Lew Gaiter and Steve Johnson.

“I enjoy bringing people together and working for a common cause,” she said. “I think you have to be able to do that to be effective in government.”

Donnelly and Stockley differ on several issues, including the need for the controversial Northern Integrated Supply Project, and NISP, and Glade Reservoir. Shockley opposes the project; Donnelly supports it.

Stockley believes the county should consider regulating the oil and gas industry and fracking as a way to protect residents.

Donnelly says the oil and gas operations are regulated at the state level and the county does not have the authority to impose more regulations.